Ahutoru[Note 1] (c. 1740 – 6 November 1771)[1] was a Tahitian man, brother and adopted son of Ereti, the chief of the village where Louis Antoine de Bougainville anchored.

He became the foremost intermediary between the Tahitians and the French during the visit, and volunteered to accompany Bougainville on his journey back to France.

[12] He nevertheless managed to communicate, enlightening Bougainville on aspects of Tahitian life that had eluded the French during the few days they had spent on the island.

In particular, Ahutoru informed Bougainville that war was a common state of affairs between the islands, that they practiced slavery and human sacrifices, and that a strict class system was in force.

Pereira concluded that the Tahitian phonetic system to which Ahutoru was used allowed him to pronounce only a few of the French Consonants, and none of the nasal vowels.

[18] During the summer of 1769,[3] Ahutoru was introduced in the high society, notably meeting Louis XV and Denis Diderot.

[11] Pierre Poivre, the intendent of Isle de France, had orders to return Ahutoru to Tahiti but to also save the cost of chartering a ship especially for the purpose.

[31] Mascarin, along with the 300-tonne Maréchal de Castries, were on a mission of exploration to Tasmania, New Zealand and ultimately Tahiti.

[5][7] Ahutoru departed Isle de France on Mascarin on 18 October 1771, but arriving at Saint-Denis, he fell ill with smallpox.

[24] Jacques Delille wrote a poem depicting Ahutoru falling in tears at the sight of a tree from Tahiti.